The Big Apple has always been good to LeBron James, so The King wanted to do something special to show his appreciation. Tomorrow, Saturday, November 7th, LeBron is giving the “Gift of the Game” to New York City by opening up seven gyms for high school ballplayers. From 1:00 PM until 6:00 PM, various gyms throughout the city will be open for you to play. Be sure to get in a run at the following locations: Read More »

Come through Vancouver’s Kits Beach this time of year and you will find that two things are guaranteed. One, you are sure to see an abundance of beautiful Canadian young ladies donning Miami-style bikinis. And two, you will find some hard-nosed pickup on the beach’s chain-netted courts. Reminiscent of Cali’s Venice Beach, Kits features some of the city’s sickest and most boisterous street ballers. Read More »

Summer hoops in Vancouver doesn’t stop as soon as the Dolphin Basketball Classic ends. Every August for the past half-decade, my man Steve Lee has organized Hoopfest. Sure, it’s not outdoors like Dolphin, but it attracts the same usual suspects: Randy Nohr, Bol Kong, Joey Haywood aka King Handles, Aman Heran and Neb Alesic. Read More »

After 48 hours and 29 games of straight summer hoops, the ‘09 Dolphin Basketball Classic is officially in the books. This is my third year covering the tourney, which is just 365 days shy of its silver anniversary. Attending this event for the last few summers, I’ve noticed the same faces grace the courts and crowd. The Dolphin community is a tight knit group and I’m glad they’ve all let me be a part of it.

This year might have been the most memorable Dolphin for me. I saw enough great battles, plays and dunks (Kevin Kemp, I’m talking ’bout you) to last me ’til NBA training camp. In an effort to keep this short and sweet, I decided to jot down my top five moments of the ‘09 DBC. Read More »

In all of the basketball I have watched in my lifetime, only two players have made me want to show up early to a game, just so that I could watch the layup line. The first was Paul McPherson at the 2000 Rocky Mountain Revue in Utah. The second was Nate Robinson at the 2005 Vegas Summer League. Blessed with 40-plus-inch verticals and insane creativity, both were sure to treat the crowd to mini-dunk contests during each pregame warmup.

After watching the 24th annual Dolphin Basketball Classic over the weekend, I’m proud to add a third person to my prestigeous, yet insignificant list. Read More »

photo: Superman doing his best Sidney Crosby.

Maybe there is something to Dwight Howard’s nickname after all. Not only is the man an automatic double-double who can probably dunk the top of the backboard, but he can also switch it up like Bo Jackson. In Vancouver yesterday to promote the upcoming release of NBA Live 10, Superman showed off his entire sports repertoire by playing a little tennis, soccer and hockey. Yes, hockey. Read More »

The 6-4 club! DRIVE coaches: Lucian Sauciuc, Jordan Mason, Pasha Bains and Chad Clifford.

DRIVE Basketball is in the ball player breeding business. It’s no secret around Vancouver that if you’re a kid serious about raising your game, you come see DRIVE to train or play on their AAU squads. Founded by locals Pasha Bains and Chad Clifford five years ago, the two best friends are like the Tim Grover’s of the city that once had the Memphis Grizzlies. Read More »

One of the most historic and premier outdoor basketball tournaments in the world is just 45 days away. The Dolphin Park Classic in Vancouver, Canada is in its 24th year and gets bigger and better each time around. Read More »